[karmicthreat]

They kind of came to be when the Bush financial meltdown happend. Unemployment was getting high in the late 00's. People were trying to develop new skills or build cottage industries. It feels like there is less of a hustle with all that now.

Plus makerspaces were just difficult to make viable and really you are probably better off spending that time on any other endeavor.

A group of us out here tried starting one in West Michigan and it sputtered along for a while. Financials and interest were never able to balance out. The Geek Group out here did a little "better" but the owners and volunteers there basically burned themselves out constantly. Then the founder got nailed for bitcoin crimes and that was the end.

[sircastor]

I had a dream of running a Hackerspace, and no matter which way I crunched the numbers it just wasn't financially viable - not as a business.

[mistrial9]

agree - plenty of young people see the darksides of constant tech engagement, and do not have the happy-garage experience to draw on, post-Internet